A shopkeeper has been heavily fined after he was twice caught with thousands of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.

Haso Ali, 41, of Shuttleworth House, was found guilty at Lincoln Magistrates' Court of eight charges including the supply and possession of illicit cigarettes at International Foods, in Portland Street, Lincoln.

Along with Lincolnshire Police, Trading Standards officers raided the shop in September 2016 found almost 6,000 illicit cigarettes. In a follow up raid on the shop in January 2017, more than 5,000 illicit cigarettes were found.

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Mark Keal, business and public protection manager at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "We're very pleased with the outcome of this prosecution, and as a service we continue to dedicate our time in putting a stop to illegal tobacco being sold in Lincolnshire.

"Illegal cigarettes can be extremely dangerous, with many not complying to product safety standards as found in the premises on Portland Street.

"They are often also linked to organised crime and a stop must be put to the sale of these products.

"We would encourage anyone who knows where illegal or counterfeit cigarettes are sold, to get in touch, anonymously, with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”